Crescent and Carswell
by WhatAboutElla
Summary: A collection of Cresswell oneshots, mostly AU. I want them to be fluffy, but sometimes my writing turns about a bit angsty. Please read and review :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Updated 4/14 (published 4/13)- just fixed some grammar and phrasing, as well as capitals and spellchecks. No biggie.**

**Summary: ((Modern-day Cresswell Best Friend AU)) We all know about Cress' height :) prompt is at the bottom of the story ;) FLUFF but it comes with the price of some angst.**

Cress remembered exactly when he'd started doing it.

* * *

In high school, they used to go to these raging concerts in this park in a neighboring city. They would be snaking their way through the mass of people that filled the lawn in front of the amphitheater where they held the concerts, Thorne pushing through the crowd and Cress trailing behind him with neck craned so she could keep her eyes trained to the back of his head. She often found herself absentmindedly massaging the side of her neck, a side affect of her shortness.

Every few minutes, he would turn his head back and look over his shoulder to make sure she was still behind him, smiling slightly every time he saw her still there. Her long blonde hair draped around her shoulders and danced around her waist in the slight breeze. Then at one concert at the end of sophomore year, he had looked back and she had vanished, the crowd seeping between them dragging them farther and farther apart. He had started panicking, and began searching frantically to find her.

When she'd realized that she couldn't see his head anymore, she had seized up with panic, before steering herself out of the crowd and to one of the benches that lined the yard of the amphitheater. She'd pulled her legs to her chest and immediately searched for her phone, clicking the button, but nothing changed on the dark screen of the phone. Dead. She felt the tears coming to her eyes as her fears got the best of her. She had come from an abusive home, where she would often be left alone, locked in her room for hours, occasionally days, at a time. Now that she was out of that situation, she was constantly afraid that the people she cared about were going to leave her. Her deepest phobia was being left alone. And the intense fear often led to horrible panic attacks, leaving her sobbing and shivering for chunks of time.

He had been pushing his way through the crowd, at the same time dialing Cress' phone. It went went straight to voicemail and he cursed. He made it to the back of the crowd and looked around for her. Short. Long blonde hair. Her knee high socks embroidered at the top with tiny, yellow, crescent-shaped scallops. The white lace of her dress. He didn't see her. He moved to the side of the mass of bodies, thinking he could see into the crowd better if he stood on one of the park benches that were placed there. He was walking down the side, trying to find an empty bench when he saw her. She was sitting with her knees tucked to her chest, staring in the ground. He immediately knew she was on the edge of a panic attack, and he surged forward to get to her.

She sat there, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, trying desperately to keep down the panic that was yearning to claw its way out of her. She breathed deeply in and out. She had to calm down. He would find her. He would never leave her. Never.

And then he was there, sitting on the bench next to her, pulling her into his arms. Whispering comfort in her ears. Reaffirming what she knew, what she had been muttering to herself for the past 10 minutes. He had found her. He would never leave her. He was right here. She felt the tears dribble down her cheeks, but the panic that would have followed them had been suppressed.

He had grasped her hand that night and pulled her off the bench. Both of them had lost all interest in the scheduled performers. He pulled her gently along next to him, not releasing her hand until they reached his car. Then he opened the passenger door for her, and went around to the driver's side. As soon as he pulled out of the spot, his right hand had found her left again, clutching it just tightly enough to tell her that he was here. They had driven in silence until they reached their street.

Cress' foster family had moved into the house next door to Thorne's family when she was 7. They had met the first day of second grade, when they found themselves waiting at the same bus stop. 8 year old Carswell had felt a strange protectiveness over his tiny blonde neighbor, and by the time the two came home from school that day, the two had become nearly inseparable.

He had walked her to her doorstep, still holding her hand, and she had pulled him into a tight hug. He had whispered in her ear how sorry he was, and that he would never lose her again. She had smiled slightly in an attempt to make him feel better and told him that she was okay now. She walked up the steps and he finally let go of her hand, keeping his arm outstretched until the last second so that her retreating fingers were forced to graze his palm as she walked away. She had turned over her shoulder and smiled at him telling him gently that she would see him tomorrow, before going inside her house and closing her front door behind her. He had walked the short way back to his house, mentally kicking himself for losing track of her.

* * *

Since that night, any time they were in a crowded space, he would grab her hand and hold it tightly so they couldn't lose each other. First it was just in large crowds, like the giant parties their friend Iko would drag them to, or the concerts they kept going to, even after that night. Then gradually over the years, he had started doing it in smaller settings. The mall, the traveling fairs and carnivals that came into town every year, then the sidewalks and little shops of downtown. Now, in their sophomore year of college, she found him doing it even in small settings. When he invited their group of friends to his dorm to study and hang out, he would subconsciously intertwine his fingers with hers when he thought no one was looking, but Cress knew that they were. She in no way missed Cinder and Scarlet's questioning looks. But she always ignored them, and they never said anything, so the topic of her and Thorne's confusing relationship was generally avoided.

Then one day he did it when they were alone. They were studying for finals in her dorm, her roommate, none other than their crazy high school party girl friend Iko, was out doing God knows what with God knows who. They were laying next to each other on their stomachs on Cress' bed, eyes focused on Cress' laptop, re-watching a lecture given for biotechnology, one of the two classes they shared now that their majors took them on different courses. Their professor, Mr. Dwyer, was narrating the lecture video, trying to make it more engaging by adding strange transitions and animations of explosions, but it didn't do much considering the lecture was on the allele variations of wolves and dogs. His voice was just narrating the definition of genome when she felt Thorne's hand slip into hers, gently caressing her smooth fingers with his own larger ones. She let him hold it for a minute as she tried to refocus on Mr. Dwyer, but she had no more interest in K9 genetics. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and used it to press the spacebar, pausing the video on her screen and leaving Mr. Dwyer's face frozen in a funny expression. Thorne looked at her curiously, like a confused puppy and she sighed and sat up. Crossing her legs, she rested her elbows on her knees and pressed the heels of her palms lightly onto her eyes. He sat up as well, leaving his legs outstretched and leaning back onto his arms.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked, having removed her hands from her eyes and started fiddling with the split ends of her long braid. He blushed slightly and ran one of his hands through his own hair.

"What?" he responded, feigning innocence. He knew what she was referring too.

Cress sighed once more and looked up at him. "The hand-holding, Carswell! I know you know what I meant. I used to understand it, when we were in big crowds and loud places, and I appreciate it, but now I'm just confused. You do it even when we're just hanging out with our friends. And 9 people isn't exactly an overwhelming number. And just now! We're alone. There is no logical way for us to get separated right now, but you still held my hand." She stopped her rant to take a breath and she saw his his features tinged with a faint sadness. Her tone softened. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, and everything you've done for me, and you have no idea how much you've done for me…" She trailed off, distracted slightly by haunting memories of the past. She shook herself out of it. "I just don't understand anymore. I mean, are you not happy with being my friend?" It had come out sort of wrong, but she saw Thorne start to speak anyway.

"God no, Cress, it's just…" he paused and ran his hand through his hair once again, biting his lip as he did so. "It's just that I… I have feelings for you. Like, beyond friendship. I mean obviously I love you, after all we've been through together, how could I not, but I think," he paused and then muttered, "God this is hard." He sat up and tentatively grabbed her hand, and she let him take it. In truth she had never minded the actual handholding, just the social confusion of it. He blew a puff of air out the front of his mouth, amplifying the rustling sound of the breath, and then he started again. "Cress I'm in love with you. I've known that since high school. Hell, as soon as I saw you that first day of 2nd grade, I knew I had to be your friend. And when I saw you that night at the amphitheater, crying on the bench after we got separated? I swear something went off in me and I knew that I needed to protect you." He stopped and inhaled sharply eyes closed, not wanting to see her reaction until he finished his confession. "And that's why I started holding your hand in the first place, because you were so small and beautiful and perfect and I could never live if I lost you. And I've known that I wanted to be more than your best friend for so long, but I was a wimp and so I just held your hand more and pretended that it was real. And I want it to be real so badly." He let out a sad chuckle before continuing, "But I understand if that's not how you feel. I'll just have to learn to back off and let someone else protec-"

He was cut off by Cress pressing her lips to his, her hands planted firmly on his shoulders. He was shocked at first, but after realizing what this meant he smiled into the kiss and kissed back. He wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and pulled her flush to him, almost knocking her laptop off the bed as her feet dragged across the comforter. Her hands moved up into his hair and she ran her fingers through it. He slowly pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"So does that mean…" he started with a small smirk and Cress rolled her eyes.

"Yes you idiot. I-I love you too. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You are everything to me," she said meaningfully. He smiled and brushed her chin gently with his thumb. The end of her braid hung down in front of him and he started fiddling with it. She lifted his chin up lightly with a touch of her fingers and kissed him again. "I love you," she said, more firmly this time.

He smiled, kissed her, and reached to hold her hand.

* * *

**A/N: WHAT THE HECK.**

**I swear this was supposed to be a cute fluffy oneshot! Idk how it turned so angsty. Urgh.**

_Prompt:_

_"You're afraid that you'll lose me in big crowds so you always hold my hand but now you just hold my hand when there's only, like, five people around and I'm getting very suspicious"_

_-'promptsfordays' on tumblr, (Height Difference AUs)_

**So I will be writing more oneshots for Cresswell based on prompts (mostly AUs because I love them) and I'll be adding them on to this document as new chapters, so follow the story if you want more. ****Review and give your thoughts please :)**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Cress lives in an apartment building, across the hall from her new neighbors Kai and his roommate Thorne. Kai has his fiancee over for the night and Thorne does not want to be there. ((implied cresswell relationship in the past))**

Cress generally wasn't a people person. She liked her loft. It was cozy and warm and no one bothered her. She liked to read and she worked from home. She could almost always be found with a mug of steaming tea and her laptop, programming the security measures for Luna Inc. Her only companion was her dog Nova, a little black terrier who loved to cuddle next to her while she worked.

That night, she was wearing cozy pajama pants and an old computer camp t-shirt. She was sitting on her day day bed under the window trying to work out a particularly difficult block of coding. It was around 10:30 at night when she noticed that Nova wasn't curled up next to her feet like he usually was. She set her laptop down next to her and climbed off the bench, slipping her feet into her slippers. She walked through her apartment, placing her mug on the counter as she passed through the kitchen on her way to the living room. A low whining could be heard from the entryway and when she walked down the steps she found Nova pawing at the floor in front of the door. Unsure about what would be behind the door, she scurried back into the kitchen and grabbed the first thing she saw to defend herself with, which just happened to be a frying pan that was sitting on the drying rack near the sink. Her hair flowed behind her as she tiptoed back to the front door. Nova was still whining there, sniffing at the crack between the ground and the door. She placed her hand on the door knob, squeezed her eyes shut, hefted the pan over her shoulder and took a deep breath before slowly opening the door. She regripped the the handle of the pan with both hands before peeling her eyes open and looking out. She jumped slightly when she saw a man curled up in a sleeping bag in front her new neighbors door. She edged forward and tapped his back with her foot. The man groaned and rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head. She huffed slightly and took a step closer to him. Still wielding the frying pan, she nudged him again with her slippered foot.

He groaned again then sat up. "Kai I swear if you ask me for a condom I'll-" he paused in surprise when he saw who was standing over him. Her blond hair was down to her waist. She was holding a frying pan in her right hand, which had dropped to hang at her side. Her glasses were perched on her nose and light freckles dusted her cheeks. She looked confused, as if she was trying to decide if he was really there. He contorted his own face as the immediate recognition of her face clawed at his heart. He pushed his hair off his face as he said, "Cress?" She looked at him for a second longer before whispering, "Carswell?" He shuffled out of the sleeping bag and stood up. "Hi," he responded, a distant quality haunting his voice

She looked at him and furrowed her brow. "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"Well my buddy Kai and I moved into this apartment last week," he said, gesturing to the door behind him and reaching up to rub the back of his neck, "But he has his fiancee over tonight and I really did not want to hear them through the wall all night. So I just… came out here." She looked at him for a minute, a rosy tint beginning to fill her cheeks as she held in more and more emotions, then sighed.

"Come inside, you can sleep on my couch," she said, sounding dazed and sad. He smiled, a small, no-teeth smile, gathered his sleeping bag and pillow in his arms and followed her inside her apartment.

Nova sniffed at his feet as he stood in the entryway, but he didn't bark, perhaps faintly recognising his smell. She headed straight in towards the kitchen, placing the unused frying pan back in the drying rack. He stepped up into the main floor of her apartment and looked at her. She walked to her right into the living room, pausing for a minute and gesturing for him to follow her. They walked into the comfortable room and she stopped and turned to face him.

"Where were you?" she asked. "2 years Thorne, where were you? You stopped texting and calling, where were you?"

"I abandoned my post in the air force. I went to Europe for a while, then to Asia, where met Kai. He was studying abroad with Cinder, and he said he was looking for a roommate. So I moved here last week," Thorne replied, running hand through his hair nervously.

"Wha- When did you abandon?" she asked shakily.

He sucked in a breath before replying guiltily, "About 8 months ago." Shock spread across her face like wildfire.

"8 months ago? Carswell, did you never think to call? Or write? You know they told your family you were MIA, did you know that? We thought you were dead, Thorne. Do you know how it feels to think that someone you love is dead?" she said. Tears were streaming down her face as she sat down on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest.

He stood frozen for a second as he watched her cry, old feelings and emotions bubbling back up to the surface. He walked to sit down next to her leaving space between them and put his head in his hands. They sat there in silence for minute and he listened to her muffled sobs. Finally he reached out a hand and placed it gently on her back. Her head tipped up slightly.

"I'm sorry," he said solemnly. His heart clenched when he saw her sit up straight, shrugging his hand off her back.

She looked at him for a second, before pulling him into a tight hug. He was shocked at first, but then wrapped his arms around her and held her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "I thought you were dead."

He nuzzled his nose in her long hair, breathing in the familiar shampoo. "I know. I know. And I'm so, so sorry Cress." He nudged her chin up to look at him and brushed a loose lock of hair out of her eyes. "I'll never leave you again. If you take me back, I swear, I'll never leave you."

She closed her eyes and pressed a kiss to his lips. He kissed back, pulling her even closer.

"You're still sleeping on the couch though."

**A/N: Eh. I'm not really too happy with how this turned out. I SWEAR IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FLUFF. Oh well. I'll try again.**

**Prompt:**

**((i got up at 2 am to get some snacks at the convenience store down the street)) My dog started freaking out and whining at the front door so I opened my door, only to find you trying to sleep on the floor of the hallway because your roommate has his fiancée over so i guess i'll lend you my couch for the night AU**

**-'grantere' on tumblr (list of aus i really need to see written:), first phrase modified by me**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: Cress was dragged to a bar by her friends, but they abandoned her and now she's stuck alone at the bar. Creepers start talking to her until someone saves her.**

* * *

Cress sighed as she sat at the bar, stirring her drink slightly with the little red straw that had come perched in it. She had come to this bar with a couple of friends, but she had stayed at the bar when they had decided to head onto the dance floor. She pulled out her phone to check the time. Only 10:30. Her friends would be crazy drunk and she couldn't just leave them here, as she was the designated driver, so here she was, stuck until they finished their party. The loud dance music throbbed in her ears and the dim lights hurt her eyes slightly. Suffice to say, clubs weren't necessarily on Cress' good side.

She took swig of her drink, disregarding the straw, and set the empty glass down on the bar. _Well, that was it_, she thought. _My one drink for the night. Damn._ As she turned to ask the bartender for a water, a guy came up next to her.

"Hey beautiful," he started leaning cockily on the counter. "You're lookin' hot tonight."

She froze, a tiny panic setting in. She blinked once and tried to respond, blushing a bit. _Who did this incredibly rude man think he was_. He scooted a little closer so she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She turned her face away slightly.

"Can I buy you a drink? The maybe later we could go back to my place…" the man continued. By this time Cress was almost shaking. She tried to speak, but she couldn't. He was reaching out to touch her face when suddenly, she felt an arm around her. The man in front of her backed up a bit and had an angry look on his face.

A voice from behind her said, "Hey, hands off my girlfriend. She can buy her own drinks." The man grunted and stumbled away. Cress immediately turned to see her saviour. It was a man about her age. A good-looking man about her age. He ran a hand through his brown hair and smiled at her.

"Sorry," he said, "Sometimes that's the only way they'll go away."

"Thanks." she said, dazed. He was cute and respectful? And she met him in a bar? How was that possible? She pushed a piece of her that was interrupting the view behind her ear.

"I'm Thorne." he replied, and realizing that he wanted a conversation, Cress snapped out of staring.

"I'm Cress," she responded.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Cress. What is a beautiful girl like yourself doing at a hole like this? Did you come here alone?" he asked in a friendly tone.

"No my friends dragged me here, but they're a little more… outgoing than me. They're somewhere on the dance floor, if they're even still here," she told him honestly.

"Well, if I'd brought you here I certainly wouldn't have left you alone with this lot of creeps," he said, cracking a shimmering smile.

She bolstered up her confidence and asked him a question. "So, did anyone drag you here or…?"

He let out a small laugh and ran his through his hair again. she was beginning to think that that was a nervous tick of his. Although he has no reason to be nervous.

"Naw, I'm here by myself. I come here sometimes to have a beer and think. Wow, that sounds much sadder when I say it out loud." he said a slight awkwardness in his voice. "It's not like that though. I have a very full life," he finished with a hint of sarcasm.

She giggled and went to reach for her drink when she remembered it was empty. She turned to order her water and she felt his gaze on her. The bartender brought it over to her and she turned back to him, sipping it gently.

"Water, huh? Designated Driver?" he asked jauntily.

"Yeah, but it's alright. I'm not a huge fan of alcohol anyway," she told him looking down into the cool clear liquid in her glass.

"Will you even have anyone to designatedly drive at the end of the night? As you said earlier, your friends might be hitching a ride," he said smiling, and taking a sip from his beer bottle.

"Who knows. I suppose I'll have to search for them sometime," she responded. He laughed and set his beer back on the bar.

"Well, I'd be happy to help." His smile was warm and open and friendly, and it caused a small smile spread across her face.

As the night went on, they continued talking, changing subjects every so often. They laughed, shared stories- he even convinced her to have one more alcoholic beverage! At the end of the night, he had smiled and walked her out to her car, after searching the entire club and not finding Iko, Peony or Jess. He'd politely asked her if she would go out with him another time and she smiled and nodded, jotting down her number and handing it to him. He'd tucked it in his pocket carefully and waited until she was safe in her car before waving with a smile and starting to walk down the street. She sat in her car for a minute smiling. She had a feeling this was going somewhere. Somewhere good. Finally, she pulled away from the curb, a smile on her face and her phone just a little bit heavier in her pocket.

* * *

**A/N: I'm happy-ish with this one. It's slightly less depressing.**

_Prompt:_

_someone is bothering them in a club and the other pretends to know them to stop the person bothering them_

_-'starlightgems' on tumblr (random aus)_

**Read and review as always please :)**

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	4. Chapter 4

The first time she was his nurse, he just knew he would have to to keep getting injured. You know, for the romantic gesture of getting hurt and coming back to see her for god knows how long, while he worked up the nerve to actually ask her out.

Her first day at O'Connor General Hospital went smoothly. All routine checkups and basic nursing tasks. But as it went on, one patient seemed to be getting hurt an awful lot. Almost as soon the old break or sprain or fracture had healed, he'd be back in the x-ray room with another.

As it happened, he was a professional daredevil, so it's not as if he went completely out of his way to receive physical harm, and the epic wipeouts that resulted from his need to return to his beautiful, perfect nurse who probably barely knew his name weren't exactly bad publicity in his line of work. Still, it was basically borderline perverted.

She started to especially notice that one patient, one Carswell Thorne, around the 6th or 7th time she did his checkup. He was a particularly charming gentleman, the kind of guy that the girls back at home would love and swoon over. Basically the opposite of who she should fall for, but at the same time, the one she was secretly attracted too. She had even used her… knack for the cyber world to find out all about him. She had seen videos of his stunts, online articles about his achievements, even considered buying tickets to one of his meet and greets, but she knew that would be creepy and weird and he probably didn't even like her anyway.

Most recently, he was in for yet another fractured wrist. He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her. Finally she came in reading through some papers on her clipboard. She looked up and gave a small smile.

"So I see you're back again. What is it this time?" she asked kindly, although she already knew extended details of his injury.

"Fractured wrist. That gets me up three of those I believe," he said smiling and gesturing in the air with his brace.

She gave out a small chuckle and went about setting up the blood pressure machine. She wrapped the cuff around his bicep, 'accidentally' feeling how strong it was, and velcro-ed it shut. She took the small, egg shaped pump in her hand and watched the gauge as she repeatedly squeezed more pressure into the cuff. When she had read his number, she released the pressure and unstrapped the cuff. He flexed his arm and she blushed, looking away.

Gosh she was cute. He was just going to do it. He would never do it if he thought about it so much. He took a breath and was about to ask her when she blurted out, "Okay I'll just finish your check-up now, hey, also-sidenote doyouwantogooutwithmesometime?"

He looked up in surprise. She shrank away and whispered, "Nevermind, forget about it. It was stupid-"

He cut her off curtly, "Yes!" He smiled.

"Really?" she replied, looking so innocent and hopeful.

"Yeah," he smiled again, looking a little sheepish. "Actually, I was just about ask you to dinner."

She blushed again. "Well obviously I would have said yes," she said with a small smile.

"Cool… How about tomorrow night? I know a good restaurant," he said nervously.

"Sure. That sounds good. I'll have to come straight from the hospital because I have the afternoon shift, but sure," she replied looking at him kindly.

"OK. Well you should probably finish my check-up, and then I will see you tomorrow," he smiled, confidence restored.

She blushed and continued the check-up, smiling.

**A/N: Is my fluff getting better? I tried really hard! I know it's really short. **

_Prompt:_

_Hospital au where one is a nurse and the other is a patient who keeps coming back with broken bones and such and eventually he starts bringing you lunch and hanging out and shit_

_-my own prompt (squee!)_

**Thanks for reading.**

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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know the POV in this one is a little choppy and confusing. I tried 3rd Omni but idk. And as always, there is a tiny snippet of angst, but it passes quickly. I think it's still cute. I hope you like it :)**

* * *

"Harper, where are we going?" 19 year old Carswell Thorne was currently being dragged through the house by his little sister. She had come into his room while he was watching tv, and she had begged him for ten minutes to come with her. At first he had ignored her, but the 5 year old could be quite annoying when she wanted to. Finally he had agreed and she had pulled him along behind her. They came to a halt in her room, and when he saw what was set up, he sighed. A small circular table was set daintily in the center of her room, surrounded by pillows and stuffed animals. His eyes scanned the table and were met with a surprise when two figures emerged from Harper's closet adorned with feather boas, sunglasses, and the always appropriate tiaras that his sister had way too many of. The older girl lifted her sunglasses from her eyes to rest atop her head, and watching her sister carefully, the younger girl did the same.

"Thorne," Crescent said pleasantly, hoping she was hiding her affections for him as well as she thought she was. She cleared her throat and gave her shy younger sister a smiling look. With a glint in her eye, she spoke again, her lovely voice coated in a dainty British accent.

"How lovely of you to join us! We were just about to sit down for tea." She curtsied to no one in particular.

The girls giggled and curtsied in lieu of a reply, then Thea sat down and Harper set about pouring just enough 'tea' into each of the four dainty cups.

Her long blonde hair flowed out behind her as she knelt gracefully on one of the large floor pillows. He watched as she picked up her spoon and the creamer to mix some 'milk' into her 'tea.' He remained standing in the doorway, hand in pockets, as the tea party commenced. When she had finished her pouring, Harper realized this and, rolling her eyes, dragged him to the pillow across from Cress.

"Harper-" he attempted to protest, beginning to stand up. Harper Thorne would have none of it. Her big brother was going to stay at this tea party until she told him he could leave. He was back from college for the summer and she was going to make the most of it. She gave him a glare and pushed his shoulders down, plopping a plastic crown onto his head in the process.

He let out a large sigh, but gave in and reached for his teacup. The two 5 year olds collapsed in a fit of giggles at seeing the big boy drinking from a tiny floral teacup. He looked up and saw that Cress was laughing as well, although she attempted to hide it behind her pink teacup.

That made him smile. He had been living next door to the Darnells his whole life, through Mrs. Darnell leaving Cress's father, coming back, mistreating Cress, getting taken away for child abuse, and him meeting his new wife and having Thea. He knew that behind her happy face every day, there was a tinge of the sadness that used to fill her life.

To see a genuine smile like this play across her face more often, he would gladly go to a tea party everyday. He realized he was staring, as did she, and they both averted their eyes, although the smiles remained. The childhood playmates had often danced around their obvious feelings for each other, each oblivious to the other's. Now Cress, who had just graduated, would soon be attending a different college than him, not too far from his but not close either, and she knew she would have to address it sometime.

He cleared his throat at the giggles of their sisters and set down his tea. They chatted idly throughout the party, mostly about dolls and Bella Ballerina and other such things that 5 year olds tend to talk about. As it was dying down, Thea and Harper ran into the playroom, leaving the two teenagers alone at the tea table.

Thorne felt himself blushing as he came to a conclusion in his mind. He was going back to college and Cress was going to start college. It was time to do something about his crush. The huge one that had made his heart swell every time he saw her since he was 13 and he learned what it was to have a real crush.

He stood and walked around the table, extending a hand for her to stand up as well, saying in his own mocking accent, "Milady I dare say that was the finest tea party I've ever attended."

Her true laugh, a sudden almost snort, came out immediately at his accent, but she accepted his hand, not wanting to pass an opportunity to touch him. She blushed when she thought that. _How ridiculous,_ she thought.

She stood and brushed herself off then replied in her normal voice, "I do believe I'd have to agree." She pulled the crown off his head and began unwrapping the boa from neck as she walked toward the closet of Harper's bedroom. She set them down and then removed her tiara and replaced her sunglasses on her head. Apparently those had not been borrowed, and Thorne liked the way they pushed her hair back just a bit. As he could now see in the absence of boas, she was wearing a simple pair of jean shorts and a flowy top with a sort of sundial pattern. She hooked her thumbs in her pockets and looked down as she noticed he was looking at her.

After an awkward pause she spoke.

"So I guess I'll be going then. Thea's staying over so she's good to go."

He ran a hand through his hair and watched as she made a move towards the door. He had to go now.

"Hey-" he began, at the same minute that she turned back to him and said the same. The two blushed, and looked away again.

"I just," she started, but trailed off a bit. He took over.

"I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go out sometime, ya know before you leave. Maybe for… dinner?" he asked tentatively as he peered back up at her. She looked shocked for a second, but then a small smile spread over face.

"You mean… like a date?" she asked her cheeks rosy with blush.

He smirked and looked down, running his hand through his hair yet again, before replying, "Yeah… Would that, ya know, be ok with you?"

She reached up and pushed her sunglasses back a little farther, then responded, "Yeah. I'd love that."

He visibly relaxed. "So, maybe tonight? My parents are supervising the sleepover, so I'd be free… Or tomorrow, whenever really," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. She giggled and took a step forward so she was right in front of him, then put a hand on his face and peckef his lip gently.

"Tonight sounds great," she replied, walking out and leaving him standing with a dopey smile on his face.

He had never been so grateful to have been invited to a tea party in his life.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah. I think I'm getting better :)**

Prompt:

A's little sibling forces A and B to have a tea party with them deeming A the princess and B the knight in shining armor

-'ficmemes' on tumblr (#otp prompts)

**I changed it a little but it was still the inspirational.**

**Review please :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I think this is pretty fluffy. A tiny bit on the short side, but still. Prompt at the end, as usual.**

* * *

I woke up at 4 am because I heard the crying. I rolled over and was about to tell Thorne that I'd been taking care of him the whole week since we'd gotten home from the hospital, but I saw that the other half of the bed was empty. I rolled back onto my side and attempted to fall asleep, but the crying continued for a while and I couldn't. I stood and pulled myself out of bed, perching my glasses on my nose and retying the loose bun that was sliding down my head. I made my way down the hall and into the baby's room.

I stopped in the doorway and watched as Thorne fumbled with our son in the rocking chair. The baby squirmed and cried in his arms. He was trying to calm him down by petting his head and whispering to him. I suppressed a giggle, but he heard it and looked up at me.

"What does he want?" he asked me frantically in a soft whisper-yell. I giggle again then walked over to him. I took Cole, laying him correctly in my arms, and made calming ssshh-ing noises. He began to quiet down a little bit and I rocked him back and forth in my arms.

Thorne looked up at me from the chair in awe. "How did you do that so fast? I've been in here for, like, 45 minutes trying to quiet him down and you do it in 2." He stood and came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and resting them just underneath Cole. I laughed a small breathy laugh, suddenly remembering a time from our childhood when he had this same issue.

I turned to face him with a smirk on my face. "Well, maybe if you hadn't ditched with our robot baby project in high school, you would be doing a little better."

He released a groan, but there was a slight smile on his face. "Are you ever going to let that go? I was a 15 year old boy, what did you expect? I didn't care about a stupid robot baby."

I turned rapidly in mock shock, careful not to wake our now sleeping son. "How dare you! Charlotte La Bouff was a perfect baby! Are you telling me you didn't care? Gasp!"

He smiled and pecked me on the lips. "I don't suppose you could forgive me?" he said dramatically.

I smiled back and replied with an over the top sigh, "I suppose I could. As long as actually take care of this one." I lifted Cole up slightly in my arms, not enough to disturb him, but enough for the gesture.

"Of course I'm helping with this one. This one is real and ours and he's perfect," he said pressing our foreheads together and rubbing our noses together.

I leaned forward just enough to kiss him before saying, "You go back to bed babe, I got him." I saw him about to protest, but I looked at him sternly and he put up his hands in surrender.

"Come in soon ok? You need some sleep," he said as he walked through the door. I nodded, even though he was already in the hall and looked down at my sleeping angel. His little face glowed in my arms and I smiled a huge smile. Setting him gently in his crib, I stood and watched for a moment. The dusting of light brown hair on his head was a mixture of mine and Thorne's, and his little fingers and toes were about the cutest things I'd ever seen. Cole and Carswell Thorne were the things I cared about about more than anything in the world. My heroes, coming to save the damsel in distress. They were my everything.

I made my way out of his room, glancing back at him once more, then walked back down the hall and into my bedroom. I sat on the edge and, trying not to wake Thorne, who was already asleep, folded up my glasses and placed them back on the bedside table. I pulled the covers over me and felt his arms wrap around me from behind.

In a groggy voice he whispered, "I love you to the moon and back."

I smiled and snuggled into him, replying, "I love you too, Captain."

* * *

**A/N: So yeah pretty fluffy. I liked thinking about them keeping the 'C' first names in the Thorne family.**

_Prompt:_

we were paired up for that 'take care of a baby' project in high school and you didn't help at all and now have a baby and you have no idea what to do

-was on tumblr somewhere but i can't find it again.


	7. Chapter 7

"Uuuuggghhh."

Thorne groaned as he sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.

He drank way too much last night.

He had been at Kai's bachelor party, obviously since he was the best man, and it had been crazy, to say the least. They had gone to 6 different bars and three clubs, all in one night, going from place to place in a giant party bus that he'd rented. Even Kai had loosened up around the third bar. His tie had been forgotten at club #2 and his suit jacket had been crumpled on the floor of the party bus en route to bar #4. Eventually, Wolf had been sensible enough to direct the party bus driver to each of their homes, and they'd gotten back around 4 in the morning.

Now he was sporting boxers, unmatched socks, and a massive headache. He heard the covers rustle on the other side of the bed and then feels Cress' arms snake around his bare torso.

"Are you feeling ok?" she whispers as quietly as possible, knowing how terribly loud noise can sound when you have a hangover.

"God, no it feels like 20 people just whacked in the head with a hammer, all at once," he responded groaning before and after.

"Well it's kind of your own fault. If you hadn't had to go out and drink for the whole night, you wouldn't have a hangover. The girls and I had champagne last night but I controlled myself, so I feel perfectly fine." He could practically hear her smirking.

"Alright, alright no need to rub it in. But it was a bachelor party that's what you're supposed to do!" he protested.

"Well you'll just have to find the quickest hangover remedy ever because we have wedding to be at in 3 and a half hours, and you have to get ready, Mr. Best Man." She got up off the bed and began walking to the kitchen. She called over her shoulder, "Don't forget, when you put on your suit, you have to wear the cummerbund!"

He groaned and flopped back on the bed, only to discover that the sudden movement led to a stinging pain in his head. He stood up immediately clutching his forehead and made his way out into the kitchen. He watched Cress chopping vegetables, no doubt for omelettes, one of her few specialties. He smiled slightly, then walked over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bottle of advil. He shook 2 capsules out of it, put it back in the cabinet, then downed them quickly with a glass of water. He took the water with him to the bar, where he sat watching Cress cook in his oversized college tshirt and waiting for the pain relievers to kick in.

Around the time Cress placed a steaming omelette in front of him, the medicine began to work and his headache was soothed for a little. They ate together at the bar, chatting about details of their friends' wedding later that day, and when they were finished, they rinsed their plates and set them in the dishwasher. They walked to their room to get ready for the wedding and the hour-long drive to the chapel where the wedding was being held.

Cress pulled her bridesmaid's dress out of the closet and began to pull off the loose tshirt she had been wearing before. Thorne stoped taking off his own clothes to take a look at his beautiful girlfriend. She changed bras, wrapping herself in a strapless nude one for the dress, and caught him looking at her. She rolled her eyes heavily before turning around. She pulled on the metallic lilac colored dress that Cinder had chosen for her. It was one shouldered with a folded pattern at the top.

She turned around and looked pointedly at Thorne, gesturing to his suit. He smiled his cocky grin and pulled off his different socks, then turned around and changed his underwear. Cress turned her face away during this, blushing slightly, and then turned back as he began to tug on his black dress pants. He pulled on his white unbuttoned shirt and said, "Hey Cress, do you think you could button me up? Wouldn't want to be misbuttoned at the wedding, now would I?"

She rolled her eyes at his smirk, but came up in front of him and began to button the shirt anyway. As she reached the top button, she looked up at him and he pecked her on the lips. She smiled and walked away, saying, "I'm going to do my hair now. Don't forget: cummerbund, black shoes, black jacket."

He smiled at her back as he watched her walk away, her now just below shoulder length hair swished behind her as she walked to the bathroom.

Half an hour later, they all ready to go, his lilac cummerbund was on, he was wearing the right shoes and she looked beautiful, as always. They took their small bags out with them to the car, locked the door behind them, and set off to watch their friends tie the knot.

* * *

**A/N: Not really happy with the ending, but I think it's pretty good otherwise.**

_Prompt:_

_Thorne with a hangover, but Cress is feeling fine. (rpgens . tumblr .com)_

**As always, please review!**

**(::)**


	8. Chapter 8

_MONDAY_

The chimes above the door jingle as the handsome customer strides into the shop, hands tucked neatly in his pockets. She's seen him in here a few times before, usually buying a bouquet or a potted plant with a sigh, as if he were running an errand, which was probably the case. As he strolls around the small store observing the fragrant blossoms of the flowers, he catches the attention of the shy young woman behind the counter. She looks up from her book, pushes her glasses farther up onto the bridge of her nose, and cocks her head, watching.

The young man peruses the silver buckets of flowers, stopping occasionally to smell a blossom, or examine the petals.

Finally, he picks up a small bouquet of daisies and a single red rose. As he approaches the counter, the young woman slides her book to the side and mans the register. He smiles a honey-dripping smile and places the flowers on the counter.

"That's, uh, $4.50 sir."

He reaches into his pocket for his wallet and hands her a ten, and while she wraps up the fresh-cut blooms, he scrawls something on a piece of paper. Setting the note on the counter, he picks up the bouquet. He pulls the rose out gently and sets it down next to the slip of paper. He gives a small wave, and then he's out of the shop, door jingling behind him.

Confused, the girl picks the note up gingerly, adjusts the glasses on her nose, and reads the looping handwriting:

_A rose for a rose._

She picks up the rose, a blush of pink tinging her cheeks. Giving it a small sniff she smiles and pulls out a thin vase for it from underneath the counter. She fills it with water, places the rose inside, and attaches the note with a piece of ribbon. The rest of the day as she helps the customers, she glances over at her rose and smiles.

_TUESDAY_

It's evening the next day when he comes again. The young woman hears the door jingle and once again draws herself out of her literature. She's surprised when she looks up and sees the dashing young man from the day before smiling and leaning against the doorway. She pulls herself together and gives him a polite smile, before finding something to tidy up beneath the register. He roams the shop, as he had done yesterday, for about 10 minutes, waiting for her to pop back up above the counter. Finally she can't hide anymore; there is nothing else to organise behind the checkout stand. She stands slowly, smoothing her skirt and straightening her collar as she rose, then met the young man's eyes.

He is standing before her with a small bundle of daffodils and a lone tulip. The dutch bloom is a pinkish-orange color and is just beginning to open up. He sets them down and searches for his wallet again. She glances at the blossoms on the counter, then speaks.

"$3.00 sir."

He smiles the same broad smile and hands her three slightly crumpled dollar bills and begins writing another note. She wraps them up quickly, then slides the bouquet across the counter. He picks it up, removes the tulip, and places it on the counter with the note. Then he walks out of the shop, giving the same slight wave, and leaving the still confused shop-worker alone with her tulip and her note.

_If I was given a tulip every time I thought of you today, I could put this shop out of business_

She once again blushes as she reads the couplet he had left. Her interest is piqued and she can hardly await the next flower in the pattern.

_WEDNESDAY_

It is almost closing time when the handsome stranger comes again. The young woman has been waiting all day to see if he might show up and had begun to lose hope, but here he was, same smirking smile and all.

She watches him run his finger along the petals of various flowers. His signature toothpick jutted out as he tried to make a decision on what flowers to buy. Finally he rests on a full purple zinnia and he smiles. Plucking it out of the bucket, he walks toward the counter. He lays the single flower down and looks up at her.

"No bouquet today?" she asks quietly.

"Naw, my old man said we had too many flowers in the house. It was coverin' up the smell of his pipe. That's the point, my ma said, but he just grumbled on some more about too much color," he finishes saying this as he finishes writing today's note.

He tips his cap at her as he starts to leave and she calls out, "Thank you."

"I'll be back tomorrow," he calls over his shoulder.

She picks up his note and finds that it's actual poetry today. Somebody must have gone to the library. She smiles as she reads the romantic verse to herself.

_Love has in store for me one happy minute,_

_And she will end my pain who did begin it;_

_-Dryden_

_THURSDAY_

The young man comes again the next day. He shops a little quicker stopping to take a bundle out of the first bucket he sees and hastily pulling a daisy out another. He puts them down on the counter and pulls out his wallet.

Looking over his shoulder, he pulls out a $5 bill and says, "Keep the change."

She wraps them hastily, daring to ask, "Why such a rush?"

He quickly jots a note as he responds, "The guys have been chasing me and if they see me buying flowers they'll pummel me cause they'll think I've gone soft. Damn, they're nuts. See ya round." He smiles as he pulls out the daisy, and then, flowers in hand, makes a run for it out the door and down the street.

The bell still jingling, the girl picks up today's note. Being so quick, she didn't expect too much of it, but reading it she sees he still managed to do pretty well on the verse.

_He loves me, he loves me not_. _He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me._

_FRIDAY_

He came in again the next day, at a normal speed, and begins his usual shopping around. She looks at him curiously.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you come here so often? Surely you can't need new flowers every day?" Her question comes out sounding ruder than she had meant it and she curses herself.

"Well I don't but my Ma enjoys them so much, and I'd hate to disappoint my Ma. And when I bring flowers, she lays of me about my hair." He ruffles his hair as he says that. The mop of unruly brown waves is admittedly longer than most mothers would think appropriate. That's not to say it's messy, it's actually quite uniform, swooping all in one direction back off his forehead, but still not the clean-cut look that was 'in style' these days.

"You know sir, we could just schedule deliveries to your house, if coming in so often is an inconvenience," the girl said timidly, attempting to give a warm smile.

"Oh it's really alright. I enjoy walking down here every day. Plus, well don't tell her, but there's this shopgirl here, and I think she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen." He smiled that cocky smile as he rocked on his heels, hands in his pocket and toothpick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. An intense blush runs over her face and she looks down at the counter. When she looks up again, he's standing there, still smiling, but he's running a hand through his hair again.

Her brain scrambles to think of something witty to say, but it just comes out, "You think I'm pretty?"

The hand freezes in his hair as he looks up at her. "Gee, of course I do. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

She reaches up and tucks a strand of her shoulder length blonde hair behind her ear. Twisting it around her finger, she dares to smile at him.

"Would you want to go out sometime, maybe? For dinner and… I don't know. Oh! There's that fair that's comin' into town tomorrow, we could go tomorrow night? You know, if that works for you," he says running his hand through his hair again. Must be a nervous habit.

"Sure, I'd love to. I'll have to ask my pa, but I'm sure he'll say yes. Yes. I'd like that."

A huge grins breaks out across his face. "Aces. I'll pick you up around 6:00?"

"That sounds wonderful. My pa and I live in the apartment above the shop, so you can just come up the stairs on the side of the building, and there's my door.

"It looks like I'll need an extra bouquet then. Wouldn't want to disappoint my date. Or my my ma." She giggles as he pulls another bouquet out of a metal bucket and lays it on the counter with the other. He pays and waves as he exits the shop. Through the glass front window, the girl sees him run and click his heels in the air.

_SATURDAY_

He shows up at the top of the steps that evening and bounces on the balls of his feet. He knocks on the door and checks his watch. The door opens and a man is standing there.

"Hello. You must be my daughter's date. I trust you'll take care of her tonight. Have her back by eleven?"

Of course sir," he stutters, suddenly even more nervous.

"Pa!" he hears her call from inside and her father turns away from the door. She appears in his place wearing a light purple skirt and a white blouse. Her bangs are clipped up and back with a bow of the same color. Her glasses have been forgotten, he supposes they were only for reading anyway. Her eyes shine up at him and he hands her the flowers, reminding himself to keep his mouth shut.

She smiles and hands the bouquet to her father, saying, "Put these in some water for me, will you pa?"

The older man nods and replies, "You have a nice night now. Back by eleven."

"I know pa."

"Alright."

"Bye pa," she says finally kissing her father on the cheek. The door shuts and the young man offers her his arm.

The night is wonderful.

They arrive at the carnival and he immediately heads to the game to win her something. She ends up with a good sized stuffed bear, not too big, but not exactly tiny either. She tries her hand at the game and wins him the same bear. He smiles at her excitement and watches as she leads him eagerly to food stands. They share a funnel cake, nearly getting the powdery sugar all over themselves, but laughing about it. They continue to peruse the booths and stands, riding the carousel, and sharing a cotton candy.

At the end of the night, they find themselves at the top of the ferris wheel. They sit crammed snugly in the cart next to one another, and the girl leans her head to rest on his shoulder and he is content. The night sky serenades them with the pale light of the moon and the twinkling stars. When they return from there journey to sky, he takes her home at 10:35, to leave a good impression with her father. As she is about to step inside, she darts out and pecks him on the cheek.

"Goodnight," she says smiling shyly.

"Goodnight," he replies, returning the smile.

She shuts the door and as he hops down the steps two at a time, the girl smiles at the flowers now adorning the kitchen table. The note attached with twine reads:

_Doubt thou the stars are fire;_

_Doubt that the sun doth move;_

_Doubt truth to be a liar;_

_But never doubt I love_

_-Shakespeare_

* * *

**A/N: There. An extra long one to make up for the small hiatus. Plus it's literally all fluff. I got this prompt from tumblr and I thought it was so cute :3**

**Prompt:**

'I work as a florist and every day you walk in, buy one flower and give it to me' AU

-_tumblr_

**Also, it's in a 1940's - 1950's time period. I liked it that way :3**_  
_

**Thanks for reading, and as always please review :3**


	9. Chapter 9

The latest headline was tossed on the stack as Cress collapsed in her chair and sighed in relief.

"Carswell Thorne and Caroline Starr Help Local Small Businesses"

Or making out in a bar. Believe what you want. A catastrophe had been narrowly avoided with that one. That man just didn't know how to do the right thing. She heard the door to her office open and she looked up.

Speak of the devil.

The handsome man stood in front of her smirking as usual, staring her down. She stood and came around her desk to speak to him.

"Carswell Thorne, do you know how many strings I had to pull to get this headline?" she asked, holding up the title. He squinted at the picture, which had been taken at the bar before the making out had commenced, and grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I don't know what-" he started, but Cress cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it. You can't keep screwing up like this and leaving behind a million pieces for me to clean up! Eventually there will be nothing I can do about it. The paps nearly didn't give this one up. I had to promise them tips to your location for 3 weeks! But at least I can watch you suffer as they keep mysteriously showing up everywhere you go!" she huffed as she went back to her desk.

He sat in the chair across from her desk and looked down.

Her tone softened and sounded more hurt as she said, "Plus, really? Caroline Starr? You know I'm in charge of your PR. I had to find out. And why? I thought we were going to try and be exclusive? You know, as a couple. And then you go and make out with some Hollywood harlot? Do you not want to be with me?"

"No I just- I got drunk and I was stupid and I haven't really ever been in a real relationship and-"

"Thorne. Come on. Spit it out please. I have another meeting in 15 minutes," she deadpanned, not wanting to hear his excuses.

"Cress, I love you. And I know I keep screwing it up, but it's true. I love you and I only want you. I'm sorry I creating these PR catastrophes. They seem to follow me wherever I go. But I love you," he said standing and leaning over her desk.

She smiled back at him and said, "I love you too." Then she wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. They pulled apart but stayed nose to nose, still leaning over the desk.

"Say do you want to come help out a local business with me?" he asked with a smile. She smacked him upside the head.

* * *

**A/N: HEHE. I know it's absolute crap. I'm sorry :3 Forgive me?**

**Prompt:**

_'Can you please act appropriately do you know just how many of your fuck ups I had to cover up last week' AU_

_-cup-of-hot-coffee on tumblr_


	10. Chapter 10 (CRESWELL CHRISTMAS)

Prompt: Cress knits an ugly sweater and forces Thorne to wear it. ( .com)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (well 2 days after christmas, but whatever)

* * *

Cress' tongue was trapped between her teeth as she concentrated on the last row. Thorne gulped from his seat across the room. He had been dreading this moment since Cress had announced her new knitting project a month and a half ago. Cress perked up as she finished and began weaving in the extra threads. She rolled up her balls of yarn, red and green and white, and set them in her knitting bag. Thorne pretended to be extremely enthralled in his magazine. She held up the final product and smiled triumphantly, observing the patterns she had done in the stitching. Thorne raised the magazine in front of his face.

"Thooo-ooorne!" she sing-songed as she stood up from her chair holding the mass of yarn out in from of her. He sighed and set down the magazine.

"Yes?"

"I'm finished! Now you have to try it on!" she smiled at him, and the pure happiness radiating off her made him stand and walk over to her. He took it in his hands and finally looked at the sweater Cress had knitted. It was mainly green, with red and white detailing. He pulled it on, ignoring the fashion crime he was about to commit. He straightened it out and looked down. There were red reindeer stitched on the front, prancing all around his mid-section, surrounded by white snowflakes. Cress's eyes lit up as she observed her handiwork. As much as he hadn't been looking forward to this, he had to admit it didn't look that bad. Besides a weird lump of yarn inside his left armpit and a slight bulge above his left hip, it didn't look half bad.

"Thanks, Damsel. I love it." Now it was Cress' turn to roll her eyes.

"Oh yes you _love_ it. That's why you had crawled halfway into that magazine when I finished it. You were just _itching_ to put it on." Her reply was laced with sarcasm.

"Well, speaking of itching…" he trailed off as he began scratching his arm through the sweater. She smacked him upside the head.

"I'm just kidding Cress. It's… very festive." He said as he pulled her in close.

"Yeah yeah. Well you know I'm all about festivity. Maybe I'll forgive you for hating it if you kiss me, Cap'n." She looked up him, playing with the sleeve of the sweater.

"Well, I gotta obey my orders." He swooped in and kissed her. He pulled back and muttered against her lips "Merry Christmas Damsel."

To which she happily replied, "Merry Christmas Captain."


	11. Chapter 11

_U should do one at the beach where [A nice guy develops a crush on cress after seeing her and] Thorne gets all jealous. This jealousy ultimately results in Thorne kissing cress and calling himself her boyfriend._

_-guest on fanfiction_

_an OC flirts with cress [when Thorne shows cress the beach the first time] and at some point Thorne should get jealous and confess his love for cress_

_-guest on fanfiction_

**A/N:These two requests were so similar, I decided to just wrap them up into one. The bracketed parts in each prompt is the part I'm not including. I'm not including the 'going to the beach for the first time' part, but maybe I'll do a chap with Cress' reactions to various new scenes/places in the world, shown to her by Thorne of course. As always, feel free to review with thoughts/suggestions/prompts :)**

* * *

Cress rearranged herself in her chair as she continued to read her newest book: Pride and Prejudice. The heat of the sand and the sun kept her warm as she sat on the beach in her favorite polka dot bikini. Her sunglasses perched on her nose, she was quite comfortable attempting to tan and was thoroughly engrossed in Mr. Darcy. Beside her, Thorne was lounging in his own foldable beach chair, toes rooted in the soft sand and sunglasses pushed up into his hair. His eyes fluttered as he slipped into a nap, and the sports magazine he had been reading was forgotten in his lap. The two friends had arrived a little under an hour ago and had immediately assumed these positions beside each other, proceeding to read in a comfortable silence. The waves crashing against the sand was calming, although it was occasionally interrupted by the squeals from various sandcastle construction sites. It wasn't a terribly busy day; a couple of parents were gathered not too far from their little construction workers, a handful surfers floated gracefully as they coasted back to shore. A little ways away, some guys had started a pick-up volleyball game, using two shade umbrellas as net posts. But it was a nice day overall, which was exactly why Cress and Thorne had come here to escape their tedious college classes and minimum wage jobs.

Just as she was turning a page, something white whizzed quickly in front of her face, above her book. She was so startled, she lost her grip on the book, sending it flying up in the air as her chair proceeded to tip over. The breeze on the beach blew her hair into her face, and her sunglasses fell off in her attempt to stand up. She looked around bewildered, wondering what had interrupted her afternoon reading. To her left, in front of a sleeping Thorne, she spotted a volleyball, and she bent to pick it up. When she turned around, volleyball in hand she smacked right into a wall. Not a wall, a man about her age, with perfectly tan skin and sweeping dirty blond hair. He smiled down at her as she stepped back, paralyzed by the stranger in front of her. He said something, but she didn't hear

"HEY!" he said, louder this time, and she snapped out of the funk she'd been in.

"Huh?" she replied, ever the charmer. It was hard to speak when her eyes were met with a beautiful but unfamiliar face. Cress hated unfamiliarity, no matter how cute the unfamiliar might be. She heard a rustle behind her, but couldn't be bothered to turn away from the tall stranger to see what it was.

"I was hoping for my volleyball back, but you're so pretty I might need to stay and negotiate." His shimmering teeth and shining abs glared back at her. Suddenly she realized he was flirting and blushed appropriately.

"Well- I, erm… I could just give it back to you. No need to negotiate. I really don't need it, and after all it is yours and I-"

"Cutie," he said, efficiently cutting off her babbling, "You drive a hard bargain." He winked. "I suppose I'll have to take you out for a meal and some more… convincing."

"I think she already has plans, buddy." A new voice chimed in. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. "With her _boyfriend._" Cress turned quickly to see Thorne standing next to her, a protective look in his eyes.

The beautiful golden boy backed away slightly. "Hey man I'm sorry. She didn't seem to be complaining, but I didn't realize you were together. I'll just take my ball and go."

Thorne grabbed the volleyball and tossed it to him. The guy got a weird look in his eye and shrugged, jogging back to his friends. Cress extracted herself from Throne's arm. He ran a hand through his hair. She busied herself searching for her fallen sunglasses.

"Hey Damsel, are you ok?"

Cress straightened up and placed her hands on her hips. "I could have dealt with him you know."

"Yeah… I just… I know you don't like strangers, and I don't like you being uncomfortable and I woke up and there's this random guy yelling at you and flirting with you and I got protective. I just wanted to get rid of him." Thorne's hand stayed in his hair as he spoke, as if it was permanently glued there.

"But I could have handled it. And I'm never going to get a real boyfriend if you keep warding off guys by pretending that we're dating." She spotted her sunglasses and pushed them up onto her head.

Thorne looked nervous and agitated as he spoke again. "I know you can take care of yourself Cress! But I can't help it that I want to protect you! I've known you forever and I've always protected you and it's really hard to change that behaviour now, especially after I've been in love with you since were 16-" He cut himself off, realization spreading over his features. Cress' face relayed nothing but shock.

"Oh stars Cress, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, to put that on you. I know you don't feel the same, and I've been trying not to tell you because, well, you should have the chance to date and I shouldn't 'protect' you or whatever because of my own feelings but-"

"Carswell."

"-I've just been dealing with this for years now and I couldn't help it. Stars, I'm so stupid-"

"_Carswell._"

He shut his eyes and said tentatively, "Yeah?"

"The only reason I forced myself to talk to guys at all is because I didn't think you loved me back. I was trying to move on for your sake and I hated it." Cress took a deep breath after her admission.

Thorne had a shocked look on his face as he spoke. "What?"

"I love you. I have for a long time," Cress replied, looking down at her sandy toes.

Thorne took a step closer, and the conversation took an abrupt turn. "Can I kiss you?"

She nodded and blushed as Thorne swept her up in his arms and kissed her passionately. She kissed back and soon, the beach had melted away. It was just the two of them, tongues dancing, forever and ever. She never wanted this kiss to end. And neither did he.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey! SO... it's been awhile. I would like to offer my deepest condolences to those of whom my lack of updates has gravely affected. Here's a longer one to (hopefully) make up for it. Just FYI this features an established Cresswell best friendship that one (or hopefully both) of them will want to further.**

_'__You're an idol and you got the lead role in a romance drama and you practice at my expense' AU_

* * *

"Cress! Cress!" Carswell Thorne yelled as he whirled into their LA apartment, dropping his messenger bag haphazardly on the table by the couch. He looked around for his best friend and spotted her on the loveseat in the sitting room, her wide eyes meeting his curiously over the top of novel she'd been reading. "Cress! I did it!"

"You did what?" She said skeptically, shifting in her chair and laying the book down to rest on her thighs.

"I got it! I got the lead! You know, the romantic lead I was auditioning for?" At this news, Cress let out a high-pitched shriek jumped out of her chair, barely remembering to save her page with the post card she'd been using as a bookmark as the hardback fell to the floor. She lunged towards him with a wide grin as she hugged stumbled backwards a little, but caught her and returned the hug with equal excitement, pulling her off the ground and spinning around.

"I'm so proud of you, Thorne!" She smiled as she felt her feet touch the ground again.

"They gave me the script and everything! I've got it here-" he rushed back to the table where he'd discarded his bag and rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a pristine spiral-bound script with a pale pink cover. He began to thumb through it as Cress moved behind him and pushed up onto her tip-toes so she could catch a glimpse of the pages. The words flipped past her eyes too quickly to read, but she had no doubt she would soon know the screenplay backwards and forwards.

* * *

"Come on! You know damn well how much you mean to me! I've spent the last two weeks trying to get you to talk to me again!" Thorne ran a hand through his hair as he let a jagged breath, looking at her with pain in his eyes. "I know what you think I did, but I swear, I would never hurt you and I would never tell anyone tha- the things that you told me in confidence." Thorne's head dropped for a moment, and he looked thoroughly defeated before he looked up at her and said, "I would _never_ break your trust."

Cress looked back at him, her jaw moving up and down like a speechless fish before she remembered that she had the next line. She blushed as she tried to shake away the shock of the intensity of Thorne's acting. "Oh! Uhh… Peter, I want to believe that it wasn't you. More than anything. But I cou-can't find any other explanation for it. You're the only one I trust-"

Thorne's quiet chuckle was what broke her out of her monotone recitation of the line. She looked at him with color in her cheeks and a scowl spreading over her features as his laughter slowly progressed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he spluttered between his laughter, "I just… Everytime, we read lines together, I remember why… I'm the actor and you work with computers," he collapsed dramatically onto the couch as he continued to laugh.

Cress rolled her eyes and stormed into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Well next time you need to rehearse, you can just read both parts in a mirror, Shakespeare."

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. I had no idea they were monitoring me and I- I should have trusted you," Cress read the line with what she hoped was, er, any sort of emotion at all.

Thorne reached out his left hand and stroked her chin. "I know… Don't worry about that anymore, Felicity, after what they've put you through… You had every right to doubt me." His hand shifted to brush the hair out of her face as he stepped closer to her. "But none of that matters now… All that matters is that we're here together, and… I love you." He began leaning in, and Cress felt her eyes shutter shut unwillingly before he pulled away abruptly.

"Whew! That was good Cress, really good! Right? Do you think I'm getting it?" He seemed to take no notice of her flustered presence after that particularly emotional reading. She blinked away the shock and suppressed whatever feelings were bubbling up inside her.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, you're really nailing this part Thorne. I mean I've seen you act hundreds of times, and you've always been good but… Yeah. you're getting it." She tried to make up for the slight downturn in her voice by adding more positives onto her compliment. She wondered how he could still be so oblivious.

Carswell's eyes lit up at her praise, before noting her slightly drooped posture. "Hey, are you alright? You look a little… droopy."

She straightened up and shook her head slightly, replying, "No, no I'm fine. I just… stayed up late last night programming that module I've been working on. I'm fine"

He didn't look convinced, but all he said was, "Ok… well I think I'm good on this scene and you need some rest, so... " She turned to walk down the hall to her room and he said, "Cress? Thanks for practicing me."

She turned back and mustered the biggest smile she could, "Of course, Thorne."

She shut the door behind her and sank to the floor, burying her head in her arms and resting them on her knees. When she was sure Thorne was in a different part of the house, verified by the clanking of dishes coming from the kitchen, she allowed herself to release the breathy tears she'd been repressing. As much as she didn't want admit it, or as much as she didn't want to ruin their friendship, she was kind of in love with her best friend. And all of this "acting"- was killing her.

* * *

"Come on Cress, I just want to get in one more reading of this scene before filming. It's the most important shot, it has to be perfect!" Thorne pleaded with her from across the house.

"You don't need it, you're fine!" she replied, somewhat exasperatedly.

"Please? I know you've done a lot for me this whole process, but I just need one more reading to feel confident."

She sighed somewhat angrily, giving in. "Fine."

She picked the script, which had become worn after so much rehearsing, and began to read.

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. I had no idea they were monitoring me and I- I should have trusted you," her acting was back to it's original stoic state.

"I know… Don't worry about that anymore, Felicity, after what they've put you through… You had every right to doubt me." The hand came to meet her cheek, the gesture that had haunted her each and every time they'd practiced this part of the script. "But none of that matters now… All that matters is that we're here together, and… I love you." She willed her eyes not to flicker as he leaned, willed herself not to give in to all the pent up emotion that had been building for months.

But she snapped. Straying from her usual shy self, she leaned in and met his lips with a force he had not been expecting, manly because he hadn't been expecting any response at all. He stood frozen but she could hardly notice as she wrapped her arms around his neck, living out the dream that had plagued her dreams since the first reading of this scene.

After a moment though, she did notice his lack of reciprocation, and sensible, calculating Cress was back, forcing herself to pull away, mortified at what she'd done. When she stepped back, his brows were slightly furrowed and Cress pushed away the thought of how cute the little crease between them was. This time, it was Thorne who was the speechless fish, his mouth opening but nothing coming out. Finally she forced herself to speak.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I-" Her words were cut off by his lips on hers once more. His arms snaked around back and waist like a boa constrictor and he held tight like he never wanted to let go. Although shocked, she began to return his gestures, and they kissed until they both needed air. They pulled apart, resting their foreheads against one another.

"No," he said, throat slightly scratchy from the passion of their previous embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't do that earlier. I just- I didn't know how you felt, and I didn't want to do anything that could ruin our friendship."

She smiled up at him, her soft fingers caressing the shadow on his cheek as she spoke. "Well, even so, I am still sorry. I should have been more supportive these past weeks. I'm proud of you, so proud, and I wanted to help, but… acting this story with you, every night… I just couldn't do it anymore, knowing that it wasn't me you were saying "I love you" to."

Cress watched as a smile began to spread across his handsome features. "What?" she questioned playfully, quirking a manicured brow. He shook his head slightly and pecked her lips once more.

"I was just thinking how genuine that was compared to your earlier repertoire of acting skills." He began to chuckle once more and she huffed and swatted the back of his head before pulling him down into another kiss by fisting her hand in his t-shirt.

"And Cress? I was saying it to you. In my head I've always been saying it to you." He looked down at her with such care in his eyes, she couldn't help but kiss him again.

"I love you too, "Peter"'

* * *

**A/N: So as always it was a smidge angsty, but whatcha gonna do? Thanks for reading and as always, if you have any suggestions, don't be afraid to leave them in a review!**


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